Cate Blanchett empowers girls to channel their superpowers of STEM for good!

Cate Blanchett, who plays Hela in Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” along with Disney, Marvel Studios, Dolby Laboratories, Synchrony Bank, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Broadcom MASTERS and Society for Science & the Public, are putting out the call for young girls to channel their superpowers of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) for good with the “Thor: Ragnarok Superpower of STEM Challenge”!

This challenge seeks to inspire and empower young girls to use their superpower of STEM to help their family, community or the world be safer, healthier, or happier. This challenge invites girls nationwide, ages 15-18 in grades 10-12 living in the United States to use their ingenuity and talent to develop an original Do-It-Yourself project.

Once you’ve created your project, make a 7-minute video where you demonstrate your project, showcase the superpowers of STEM used, and highlight the good it can bring. Head over to marvelstudiosstemchallenge.com to submit your application. You have until 6 PM PST on September 23!

Five finalists will be selected to attend the Red Carpet World Premiere of “Thor: Ragnarok” in Los Angeles and more. The grand-prize winner will attend an immersive three-day mentorship in New York City with Disney Imagineering where her idea will be built, all before presenting her STEM superpower live on Good Morning America!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends at 6:00PM PT on September 23, 2017. Open only to girls between the ages of 15 and 18, in grades 10 – 12, as of August 23, 2017, who are legal residents and physically living in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Limit 1 entry per person. Winners must be able to travel on or about October 8, 2017 through October 11, 2017. See Official Rules at www.marvelstudiosstemchallenge.com for full eligibility and entry requirements, prize description, conditions, and limitations. Void where prohibited. The official contest sponsor is Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

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Kirby Krackle comes to life!

Director Taika Waititi has a vision for “Thor: Ragnarok” and the visual effects department are a huge part of helping him tell his story. With motion capture, advanced special effects, and more, technology is as much a part of the movie as the actors themselves.

Marvel.com spoke with VFX supervisor Jake Morrison about how he and his team brought the Asgardian battle story to life.

When asked which of the movie’s scenes or effects was the most challenging to create. “All of them,” the visual effects supervisor replied. “It’s literally one of the most involved pictures I have ever been on. It’s visual effects heavy. All Marvel pictures do rely on visual effects to help tell the stories. But this one is absolutely enormous. The scope of the picture and the amount of elements in it is incredible.”

Advancement in technology now allows for instantaneous feedback. For an actor, motion capture can enhance the performance, making the surreal into reality. When an actor puts on the marker suit, the images are streamed into the control room allowing operators to view the image, just as if an 8-foot tall Hulk was standing right before their eyes.

Morrison explains, “What that does is that allows us to frame the shots more accurately, so we know that what it will do at the end of the day.” Seeing as how Hulk is massive—as is his stride, “Where Mark Ruffalo takes 4 or 5 steps, those steps when they’re Hulk-size steps are actually like 3 times as far.” Technology allows the ability to feel as if the scene is seamless. Morrison describes how it’s done, “The operator actually will make the center point of the move—the end of it. So the operator, the camera approach, actually sees the Hulk 10-feet over that way and as Mark walks—we go through—we actually catch up with Mark and then we land at the final moment where we see him on mark, as Hulk. It’s pretty cool.”

The special effects team used tricks to put Ruffalo into a Hulk state of mind. Morrison recounted, “We got these cool tricks that we picked up over the years where he puts on this heavy hands thing that you use when you work out. So it makes his body a bit heavier for him. It slows down his motion a little bit.”

By setting up a virtual world, Ruffalo is able to view his performance in a mirror actually as the Hulk, “It’s amazing watching the transformation as he does each circuit of the room—gradually you see him loosen up and then he goes into a slight pose—and then he hunkers down and you can see him just watching the mirror as he’s going past. The character gets more and more Hulk and then after that—after you know a half an hour—he’s found the Hulk again.”

When it comes to Cate Blanchett carrying the weight of Hela’s headgear—technology has come a long way, “In the 80’s or 90’s you would actually have to put the big headdress on to know exactly what that looks like.” Morrison details, “The key is we base it upon Cate’s physical performance. The reason we got the motion capture stuff on her is we’re now recording literally like 120 samples per second of where her body is.”

This allows the actor to not have their motion restricted by the costume, “How her wrist moves or elbow moves or whatever. That’s all captured in the system. So if she does a pirouette or a turn or anything, actually the stuff you see her do here—we then have the option to make her costume behave in symphony with her action.”

“Thor: Ragnarok” is incredibly visual effects heavy. Morrison spoke about the huge influence that creator Jack Kirby had on the production, “The amazing thing about Jack Kirby is his artwork is dense. One of the anecdotes about Kirby is that he never erased anything.”

“So what that means is an incredible amount of light and dark and that means it’s a very thick frame.” Regarding bringing the Kirby Krackle to life, “If you look at the original Asgard there are these massive riffs in the sky like dimensional breaks, with a whole lot of pop all the way around them. What he’s doing is really just filling the frame. So for us what that means is we can be very dense with the visuals.”

These images helped give a Kirbyesque tone to the movie. “You’ve already seen what the Art Department had done with putting that into the buildings, but it also means we can add stuff into the sky,” said Morrison. “Any travel that we do, we can thicken things up a great deal because the original Kirby idea was not to start forward lines, but really just a lot of dynamic light and shade contrast.”

Fans will get to see the effects of the Kirby influence for themselves when “Thor Ragnarok” hits theaters in November. Get your tickets now for “Thor: Ragnarok” now!

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Marvel Studios' 'Thor: Ragnarok' Debuts New IMAX Poster

Published Sep 20, 2017
By Christine Dinh

'Thor: Ragnarok' opens in theaters November 3!

Thor brings his deadly gladiatorial contest and race against time to IMAX November 3, and to celebrate we’ve got the IMAX-exclusive poster for Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” right here on Marvel.com!

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'Thor: Ragnarok' tests Loki’s boundaries.

It’s been four years since audiences have seen Tom Hiddleston don Loki’s golden horns on the big screen, and now the God of Mischief is back this November 3 in “Thor: Ragnarok”!

We spoke with Tom Hiddleston on the set of “Thor: Ragnarok” and it was almost like a family therapy session for the adopted son of Odin. So many complex relationships were discussed, all that happen to revolve around the trickster’s mercurial spirit.

“The opposite of love is not hate but indifference,” Hiddleston discussed how Thor being indifferent to Loki is troubling for the character from a familial point of view. “That’s a defining feature of his character. I don’t belong in the family; I hate my brother. And the idea his brother’s like, yeah, whatever, it’s an interesting development.”

“The two of them are placed in such an extraordinary situation where everything is unfamiliar; that their familiarity, literally, as family members becomes important.” The now famous scene from the teaser trailer of the Asgardian brothers fighting side by side shows how the siblings seem to have come terms—at least temporarily—with their complicated relationship.

Tom Hiddleston stars as Loki in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

“Loki’s feelings towards his family members are complex, to say the least,” Hiddleston reflected on the first film. “The moment of Thor’s ascension, he finds out he doesn’t belong there at all. I never conceived of Loki’s emotional connections to Odin or Thor as malevolent. He just wants to have a go on the throne, which he does.”

When it comes to complex relationships, Hulk knows a thing or two about burying your feelings. The big green guy is added to the mix in “Ragnarok” and Hiddleston thinks fans are going to enjoy their interaction, “In ‘The Avengers,’ Hulk and Loki never really had a conversation. It was more, more of a physical meeting, an extended group hug, shall we say,” joked Hiddleston. “So it’s fun when the two of them meet.”

Finally, there’s a new villain in town and her name is Hela, “The goddess of death shows up and the stakes are high, for everybody,” said Hiddleston. “Loki perhaps more than ever, is challenged to define himself in the face of that threat.”

Regarding the dynamic between Loki and Hela, Hiddleston said, “It’s about them recognizing each other; recognizing that we prefer anarchy to order; recognizing that chaos is more fun, if a little exhausting; recognizing the aesthetic value of green capes. The inimitable elegances of a headdress—if you’re gonna be bad, you might as well be bad with style.”

Speaking of style, perhaps Loki’s relationship vulnerability is manifesting itself in his wardrobe? When asked about Loki’s multiple costume changes, Hiddleston pondered Loki’s “Pretty Woman” moment, “In my head, Jeff Goldblum takes Loki out to Rodeo Drive and says, pick the finest fabric you can find; let’s fashion your suit.” If this isn’t a cry for an Asgardian version of Project Runway, then this is a real missed opportunity.

Get your tickets now for “Thor: Ragnarok” and stay tuned for even more action in the coming days and weeks!

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Tickets for 'Thor: Ragnarok' are now on sale!

This November, the mighty Thor returns and takes on his biggest, baddest fight ever in Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Raganok,” coming to theaters November 3!

We spoke with actor Chris Hemsworth on the set of the film, where he talked about this new adventure and what Thor’s missing magical mane means for the son of Asgard.

“Thor: Ragnarok” puts Thor in different worlds, encountering a diverse cast of characters which changes the dynamics. A departure from the previous films, here Thor is on a search for answers. “He’s on this sort of a personal journey of his own discovery, to find answers for himself. Removing Thor from his environment and his world where he dominated a lot of the fight scenes, and putting him in a situation where all of sudden he’s fairly equal with everybody.” Hemsworth noted, “This being called Ragnarok, everyone knows what that means. Obviously it’s gonna affect the larger universe.”

All that soul-searching doesn’t mean the story is far from upbeat, director Taika Waititi lends his unique style to set the tone of the film. “I was a big fan of Taika’s work and in all of his films, he strikes this beautiful balance of humor and heart.” Hemsworth explains, “You know, it’s all grounded in a reality we can kind of relate to, but it’s fun and enjoyable. I’ve never improvised so much with this character which has been really exciting. Taika will just yell suggestions while rolling – try this, try that and so on. And I think it’s really come to change the game for myself or for the film.”

Hemsworth—an Aussie himself—compared Thor’s original onscreen debut story to another famed Australian, Crocodile Dundee. Hemsworth feels the fish out of water element lends humor to the new film, “The situations he finds himself in are very much removed from any kind of Asgardian, ethereal time he had before. There is this greater awareness now obviously. There’s a maturity to him.”

With the release of new “Thor: Ragnarok” posters, one might notice an obvious absence from the stills…where’s the hammer? “I think it says a lot about the journey he’s going on and where he is at that point in the film. So, can’t tell you exactly where the hammer is,” Hemsworth quipped.

Chris Hemsworth stars as Thor in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

Along with the missing Mjonir, Thor’s iconic golden locks are also gone but Hemsworth teased that it’s all a part of the plan, “All of the conflict and the disharmony of the world he’s in, his physical appearance is altered due to that.” Hemsworth offers this explanation, “It’s paralleled by his journey, and who he is in the world and how he thinks he fits in-this is a new version of him.”

In “Thor: Ragnarok,” The God of Thunder finally gets some one on one time with his co-worker Hulk. Speaking about the rough and tumble pairing, Hemsworth liked the idea, “Early on I was saying, let’s do something like Butch and Sundance and tear ‘em up and go on a road trip.” Now that’s sounds like an entertaining idea for a follow up movie.

Get your tickets now for “Thor: Ragnarok” and stay tuned for even more action in the coming days and weeks!

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Marvel Studios’ 'Thor: Ragnarok' Gets 8 New Character Posters

Tickets for 'Thor: Ragnarok' are now on sale!

The highly anticipated Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” opens in U.S. theaters November 3, but you can get your tickets for opening weekend wherever tickets are sold now!

To get you even more pumped for “Thor: Ragnarok,” take a look at new character posters for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hela (Cate Blanchett), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Heimdall (Idris Elba), the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), and Odin (Anthony Hopkins).

Get your tickets now for “Thor: Ragnarok” and stay tuned for even more action in the coming days and weeks!

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The Sneepers ft. David Hasselhoff Perform 'Guardians Inferno'

Published Aug 6, 2017
By Christine Dinh

Own 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' on Digital Aug. 8 and Blu-ray and 4K UHD Aug. 22!

Dust off those far out platforms and enjoy this blast from the past! Earlier today, for your viewing pleasure, director James Gunn debuted the official music video for “Guardians Inferno” performed by The Sneepers featuring David Hasselhoff.

Get the “Inferno” music video and more bonus features when you bring home “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” on Digital August 8th and Blu-ray, and new to 4K UHD, on August 22nd!

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'Black Panther' will be in theaters on February 16, 2018.

True Believers, we’ve got more exciting news coming out of the Marvel Studios panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con! We’ve just revealed a new poster for Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther.” See it below and see it in theaters February 16, 2018!

A new poster for Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER was just revealed during a panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. Please feel free to share with your readers!

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New Trailer and Poster of Marvel Studios' 'Thor: Ragnarok' Has Arrived at San Diego Comic-Con

Published Jul 23, 2017
By Christine Dinh

'Thor: Ragnarok' will be in theaters on November 3!

Marvelites! The new trailer for Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” debuted moments ago in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con along with a new poster! Feast your eyes on the new trailer above and see the poster below. Be sure to catch “Thor: Ragnarok” when it thunders into theaters on November 3!

In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk! “Thor: Ragnarok” thunders into U.S. theaters on November 3, 2017.